Playing his first T20 since the IPL 2025 final, Virat Kohli guided Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a big win in their opening match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. His unbeaten 69 off 38 balls, which included five fours and five sixes, helped RCB chase down 202 in 15.2 overs. According to former India batter Ambati Rayudu, "there's a lot more to come from him".
"[Kohli] was still looking a little rusty… throughout the innings," Rayudu said on ESPNcricinfo's Time Out. "There's a lot more to come from him, as he gets more tuned in."
Kohli looked scratchy at the start but Devdutt Padikkal's blazing 26-ball 61 allowed him to find his hitting range. Kohli took a slight backseat in their 101-run partnership. According to Sanjay Bangar, who has been the head coach of RCB in the past, Kohli's slower start was by design.
"If the batsmen around him are doing the job, then he doesn't really have to put the accelerator on," Bangar said. "Because he can raise the bar anytime in terms of strike rate… He can hit those boundaries or sixes at will, when he actually needs to be done."
When Padikkal departed, captain Rajat Patidar walked in - and he bashed the spinners in the middle overs during a cameo of 31 off 12 balls. Kohli took over during the final phase of the innings, propelling from 50 off 33 to 69 off 38, scoring 19 runs off his final five balls to lay down a marker for the rest of the season.
"Once he knows that the game is well within control, he takes great joy in hitting those winning runs," Bangar said. "Or at least staying there, and watching his team have those winning moments. It has become a habit."